Main menu

Post navigation

Following the Stages of the Gluf Fritillary

What can I say – I’ve been obsessed with capturing all of the stages of the Gulf Fritillary Butterfly. My Passion Flower Vine is right outside my kitchen window. There have been many of the females laying eggs. There have been quite a few caterpillars that I have then enjoyed watching munch the leaves. I was lucky enough to see one attached and morphing into a chrysalis! I’ve read that most of the time they crawl away and you don’t see the chrysalis’.

Well, as I was enjoying a cup of coffee and the cool this morning in my backyard, I was lucky enough to spy a butterfly that had just emerged and was drying by its chrysalis. It had crawled a good 25 feet from the Passion Flower Vine to attach itself to the wire! I saw its first flight and it landed on one of my Rose of Sharon plants and continued to dry. I hope you enjoy the following photos. All were taken in my Butterfly Garden.

Searching for a leaf to lay an egg on

Gulf Fritillary Laying Eggs

Resting in the midst of laying eggs

New Caterpillar with Passion Vine

Hungry gulf fritillary caterpillar on passion flower vine

Caterpillar attached and morphing into a chrysalis

Saturday morning surprise! – This gulf fritillary butterfly and just emerged. It had crawled a good 10-12 feet from my Passion Flower Vine and attached itself to this wire!

Empty Chrysalis

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly continuing to dry its new wings on a Rose of Sharon.